Wesley So holds off Caruana to stay top of the US Championship

In Saint Louis, Wesley So held off Fabiano Caruana in round nine of the 2026 US Chess Championship, settling the game in a draw. The result keeps his one-point lead at the top of the standings, while the defending champion was chasing a fifth consecutive title.

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The essentials
• Wesley So leads with 7 points out of 9, the only unbeaten player in the open section.
• Fabiano Caruana and Grigoriy Oparin trail him tied on 6 points.
• In the women’s section, WIM Rachael Li took the lead by a point after a late blunder by Nazi Paikidze.
• The event runs in Saint Louis until 22 October, in a twelve-player round-robin format.

Table of contents

A draw that preserves the lead

According to Chess.com, So kept his one-point lead by drawing with Caruana in round nine. Not a spectacular result, but one that confirms the American’s consistency throughout the event: he remains the only unbeaten player in the open tournament.

Before this round, So had already widened the gap by beating Andy Woodward in round eight, in a pawn endgame. That win took him to 6 points after eight rounds, a lead he managed to defend against his main rival.

Oparin joins the fight for second place

While So held the fort, Grigoriy Oparin beat Sam Shankland, according to Chess.com, drawing level with Caruana in second place on 6 points. The battle for silver looks wide open with three rounds to go.

Caruana chasing a fifth title

Defending champion Caruana was aiming for a fifth consecutive US title, according to Chess.com. For now, the one-point gap to So keeps the pressure on the champion, who will need to fight to the finish to catch up.

Rachael Li impresses in the women’s section

In the women’s tournament, young WIM Rachael Li took the lead by a point, benefiting from a late blunder by Nazi Paikidze in the endgame, according to Chess.com. Li has already secured her first International Master norm, with two rounds still to play.

“After he played b4, I literally wanted to resign, because I didn’t expect this move at all!” Wesley So said, describing a tense moment in one of his games.

Behind Li, eight-time champion Irina Krush and Alice Lee follow with 6 points each, according to Chess.com. Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Carissa Yip is going through a rough patch and sits near the bottom of the standings.

Format and prize fund

The event is played as a twelve-player round-robin, at a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes with a 30-second increment, according to Chess.com. The open section carries a $250,000 prize fund, with $55,000 for the winner; the women’s section offers $152,000, with $35,000 for the champion.

Player	Points
Wesley So	7/9 (leader)
Fabiano Caruana	6/9
Grigoriy Oparin	6/9

Three rounds remain before the finish on 22 October. So will need to confirm his lead to claim a fourth national title, while Caruana and Oparin look for an opening.

Sources

Chess.com — Rookie Rachael Li Leads Women By Full Point; Wesley So Parries Fabiano Caruana (2026-10-20)
ChessBase — US Championships – Live! (2026-10-19)
ChessBase — US Championships: So wins again, now a full point ahead (2026-10-18)
Chess.com — Wesley So Extends Lead; Status Quo In Women's (2026-10-18)